August 26, 2009 Jake has his first day of school tomorrow! He’s so excited! I had to drag him out of Miss Julie’s room kicking and screaming the other day at orientation, so I think that’s a good sign he likes it. He went to “school” at the same church last year as well, but this year has a new teacher, and he will be doing much more big boy things.

I asked him at dinner what he liked best about Miss Julie’s classroom and he said, “Monster Twucks.” Nuff said.

At first when Tanner found out Jake would be going to school this fall, she was upset. “If I can’t go to school, then Jake can’t either,” she said. But, when I pointed out the fun things we might be able to do without little brother around, she found a way to be happy for him.

I’m proud of her, though, for loving him enough to be excited for him when she is so sad she can’t go to school herself. She is going to help me take his “first day of school” picture tomorrow morning before we drop him off and make our way to the clinic.

She’s also made a lot of progress expressing anger appropriately. She still has her moments, but has managed to be more respectful and calm than she had been over the last month or more. I don’t often notice her trying to pick and fight anymore, and if she does, we just put her in her room until she calms down and that seems to lessen the duration of the problem at least. So, I’m proud of her for this, too.

We’re praying for better counts tomorrow so we can start back on the methotrexate and maybe go over to the school to visit Tanner’s classroom and teacher. They’ve already had some Swine Flu cases there, though, so I don’t know if we’ll be able to go either way. It would mean so much to her, I think, to see the room and her desk there waiting for her. I think she’s having a hard time connecting what is going on there with what she is doing with her homebound teacher. A visit might help, but we certainly don’t want to risk any exposure to the flu.

Tanner’s Light the Night Team has raised $2,125 so far to help in the fight against blood cancers! If you would like to walk with us Oct. 1 in Tanner’s honor, go to http://pages.lightthenight.org/tn/MidTN09/TeamTanner and sign up for Tanner’s Team. All proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Will post tomorrow once I know any medical updates.

Love,
Beth